NEW E-MAIL SCAM TARGETS LAWYERS

A new e-mail scam is making the rounds. Scammers are stealing lawyers' signature blocks from e-mails and applying the information to fake e-mail addresses.

A Houston lawyer recently received a suspicious e-mail claiming to be from an Idabel attorney referring a case to him. Luckily this Houston lawyer didn't believe the Idabel attorney was referring him a case by e-mail and gave him a call. The e-mail referral was on behalf of someone who is out of the country needing an attorney to represent them to collect funds owed. If "retained," the attorneys receive a check from "Canada" via UPS and are instructed to wire that amount to one of the following: China, Korea, Taiwan or Japan for the amount of the item minus a generous attorney's fee. The checks deposited are actually well-done forgeries. But before the forgery is caught by the banking system, the victim (who may have already wired the money) is now out the money he or she wired.

Another version is to ask for your trust account information to wire the money into the account when the exact opposite is intended.

Be extra cautious if you receive an e-mail or phone call that relates in any way to this kind of activity.